The extended reading for today’s devotional is the account of the “fall of Man”. Some time after the sixth day of Creation the Angel Lucifer exercised his freewill and rebelled against God. During the time between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1 part of our extended devotional reading for today, he shows up as a “serpent”.

Known as the Devil, or Satan, there in the Garden of Eden, he is in the form of a “serpent”. He misquotes God, puts doubt in the mind of Eve and proceeds to manipulate both Eve and Adam for the purpose of causing them to go against the Lord and do what He had told them not to do, eat of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”.

There are consequences for sin,verses 16-19, God told Adam and Eve, "For in the day that thou eatest thereof [the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil], thou shalt surely die,"Genesis 2:17. However, at this time of the first “sin”, a “promise” was made in the form of a “prophecy”, a Saviour would be “provided”.

This is the very first prophecy of a coming “Messiah” - a Saviour for all mankind. This same prophecy also looks for Satan - the great Adversary - to come, but to meet his defeat by the power of the Messiah. Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ fulfilled every prophecy written of the coming of the Messiah. This fact then makes Him the fulfillment of this stated prophecy.

Jesus Christ, our Saviour, not only defeats Satan in the end, but strengthens us to stand against our Adversary on a daily basis, Ephesians 6:10-13.The Lord will also call us to meet Him in the "air" at the Rapture, which could happen today.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the “prophecy” of a coming Saviour, the “promise” that He would take care of my sin problem and the “provision” of that Saviour.